Method of nodulating materials.



L. P. ROSS.

METHOD or NODULATING MATERIALS.

APLIUATION FILED AUG. 1I 1912.

Patented Oct. 28. 1913.

GAL/IM LEWIS P. ROSS, OF BTAIQDISH, NEW' YORK, .ASSIGNOR IRON COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0]? imams.

Spccieation of Letters Patent.

or 01m-HALF To Romanen New Yonx.

METHOD OF NODULATING MATERIALS.

f Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

Application led August 1, 1912. Serial No. 712,700.

To all' whom i may concern f Be it known that I, Lewis P. Ross, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Standish, in the county of Clinton and State of New York, have invented an Improved Method of Nodulating Materials, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the nodulization of materials such as line ores, flue dust and cement, and its leading object is to effect the .desired nodulization or clinkering without the stoppage of the mechanism and the loss attending the operations now in common use.

. In the operations commonly practised, the materials are carried fron. the upper to the lower end of aninclined rotary kiln into the and stop the flow of the materials.

lower end of which a flame is projected, so that such materials are gradually heated to an adhesive or partially melted condition, when there is an objectionable adhesion thereof to the kiln lining, with the forma.- tion of `rings which ill up the passage This requires themechanism to be stopped for the purpose of breaking outl the rings or clearing out the adhering matter, which results in very considerable loss of time in the use of comparatively expensive apparatus, in frequent injuries to the lining, and in con* siderable expense for labor.

It is a desideratum, attained by my invention, to automatically free the kiln from adhering matter, with avoidance of the usual stoppage of the mechanism, labor charges for breaking out the rings and injuries to the linings. This is accomplished by preventing the usual comparatively uniform adhesion around the kiln lining, primarily by giving to the kiln, or a section thereof including the zone in which substantial adhesion takes place, an oscillatory movement such that the accumulation upon the lining shall vary in thickness and approximate a crescent in cross section, with the result that when the kiln is turned so that the thickest portion of the accumulation is brought to the highest position, it will fall by reason of its lack of support or the weakness of the lower section thereof.

The characteristic features of my invention are disclosed in the following description and the accompanying drawings in illustration thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through the axis of a kiln embodying improvements of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the driving mechanism for the oscillating section; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the lin 3-3 of Fig. 1 in illustration of the swiiT mechanism; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View in illustration of the mechanism for reversing the motor by which the oscillatingsectionvis operated; and Fig. 5 vis an enlar ed sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of lisig 1 in illustration of the accumulation approximating an unsupported arch, the scction showing a modification in construction designed for cooling a lonvitudinal section of the kiln so as to reduce trhe accumulation in the region thereof and culiar formation designe down of .its own weight.

The mechanism, as illust-rated in the drawings, comprises the inclined rotary kiln section 1 carried by the rollers 2 on the foundation blocks 3 and the inclined oscillatory kiln section 4 carried by the rollers 5Y on the foundation blocks 6. The upper end of the section 1 has the material to be nodulated fedthereto through the pipe 7 and discharges gas through the Hue 8 to the stack 9. The section 4, of larger diameter than the section l, receives the material, through the upper end thereof, from the concentric lower end of the section 1 and delivers the nodulized product at its lower end.

A hood 10, at the lower end of the section 4, carries a burner 11, by which a Hame is delivered through the lower end ofthe section 4, and heating'` gases effect the desired condition in the materials traveling downwardly through the kiln so that it reaches the lower section in such condition that the desired balling or clinkering can be effected therein.

The section 1 is rotated by the usual circular rack 12 thereon and an engaging gear 13 operated by a gear train 14, and the section 4 is oscillated by a similar circular rack 15 thereon and an engaging gear 16 operated bya gear train 17. A reversible motor 18 drives the train 17, the motor beingr reversed by the actions of the arms or cams 19 and 19 of the section 4 upon the respective ends of a switch lever 20 fulcrumed on the bearing 21 and connected by thelink 22 to the arm 23 of the switch 2 4. y

The diagrammatic representation of Fig.

for breaking c'hing remote the pey 4 shows the leads 25 `and 26 of the motor 18 turning kilns which consists in heating such connected by the three point switch 24 with materials and rolling the Same in f VeISe conductors 27 and 28, the switch being directions so that parts thereof adhering .to thrown by the arms 2,3 oscillated by the link the kiln lining` shall be deposited of such 1r- 22 and acting through the link 29.` regular thickness circumferentially as to As illustrated in Fig. 5, boxes 38,'for the fall by reason of its lack of side support. circulation of a cooling fluid, may be set 1n 2. The method of nodulizing materials 1n a longitudinal section of the part 4, for the turning kilns which consists in heating saidpurpose of reducing the temperature and materials and rolling the same back and the adhesion in the Vicinity thereof, water forth over a concave surface by oscillating being conveniently supplied and discharged said kiln so that material adhering to the by means of the hose 31. kiln lining shall decrease in thickness cir- The material fed by the chute 7 to the upcumferentially and fall by reason of its lack perend of the rotating section 1 is gradually of side support. heated by the gases iowing in contact there- 3. The method of nodulizing materials with as it is rolled and translated to the secwhich consists in heating the same to an adtion 4. The oscillation of the section 4, the hesive condition and rolling them over a arc of which may be regulated by adjusting concave surface in one direction and then the arms 19 and 19', rolls the materials derolling them over said surface in the reverse livered thereto, back and forth, to effect the direction so as to form an arch of varying desired balling, rendered possible by the now thickness. adhesive condition of such material, and, In witness whereof, I have hereunto set while there is adhesion to the kiln lining, the my name this 19th day of July, 1912, in the deposit 32, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, varies presence of the subscribing witnesses.

in thickness circumferentially, forming a species of arch which finally falls by its own LEWIS-P' ROSS' Weight due to its lack of support. Witnesses:

Having described my invention, I claim: J. F. POWELL,

1. The method of nodulizing materials in L. H. MCCLELLAN. 

